The Arizona sentinel., 1887-11-19
HANDLING MONEY.
The Wonderful Skill of London
 Bank Tellers.
Annual Loss from Wear and Tear of Gold COiu-VariOus Features of the Scotch and American
 Banking Systems.

Banking Systems.
 A London bank teller always ex- periences q feeling of relief when he finds his money correct at the close of Fridays work, and this feeling is usually shared by the rest of the staff, who can not leave the bank until he either discovers his error or satisfies himself as to the actual shortage. The great bulk of the shortage made across bank counters in England are believed to occur on that day. Whether or not there is any truth in the superstition concerning Friday being an unlucky day for the teller, or whether the errors are caused by the carelessness which is always more or less the result of a slack day, is an open question. The belief is simply recorded as an ac- knowledged and experienced fact
 Next in the order of bad days for the teller, or cashiers as he is designated in London, comes Saturday, but there the bad luck is intelligible. Saturday 10 W Osllg slilu llO SOOnGI lldS luG teller filled his till and loaded up his shelves with silver in e5 and 910 bags than the days work sets in like a flood. Until twelve O clock he is pay ing away with both hands; after that hour, if he is a receiving clerk as well, he begins to receive heavily, for Sat urday is also the last day of the week, and every one elects that the bank should receive his deposits rather than that he should keep them in his own less-secure custody over Sunday.
 In beginning work on Saturday the London teller faces an open mahogany counter of which the portion control ed by his desk is probably six feet long by three feet wide. He likes to have a good square view of his GUS toner, and it is one of the canons of British banking that the eyes of the staff shall command the counter There is to be said in defence of the system, it requires considerably more hardihood to penetrate a swindle in the open view of an English bank than it does at pigeon-hole in a fenced-in counter, and, in addition, well-train- cd bank staff accustomed to each others ways by long contact, and familiar as well with the GUS toners of the establishment, are often able to render valuable aid to the teller and the bank for that matter, in a variety of ways.
 With such an open counter the chief clerk is also able to keep the whole field under his eye at one time, and relieve the overstrain at any particu- lar desk. The effect of the exposed condition is beneficial too on the staff, the members of which preserve steadier demeanor and attend more closely to business while thus under the eyes of the public. But such an exposed situation demands a steady nerve on the part of the teller. who will some times have as many as a score of customers waiting at one time. He need, how ever, only observe the golden rule in order to insure correctness: No hurry, and finish one transaction before you begin another" His great temptation will be to endeavor to get rid of the press of people by cashing the checks demanding coin without entering them in his money-book at the moment leaving that for the first Hull in the days business. In doing this he is depEiving himself of almost the only safeguard against loss.
 The London teller is probably the quickest manipulator of coin in the world. This is largely owing to the fact that the smallest note issued in London is of the value of 95, or S25. When asked for gold in a greater amount than his eye can count at glance the teller, after counting it quickly with a pianoforte action, throws it with his copper scoop into his faithful scales. and so checks his count The weights of these scales are arranged in suitable numbers. The teller also checks the gold which he receives by weight, and here his knowledge of his business will be tested. One hundred new sovereigns are of full weight rather more, in fact. but the same number taken at hap hazard will be found to be nearly half a sovereign Cor per cent) short in weight, while one hundred pounds in ordinary half sover- eigns are sometimes twenty shil- lings for l per cent) short in value, The telleg eau quickly